Fable.
Once in a small Japanese town, a woman was dying. At some point, she felt her soul leaving her body, ascending upwards, and appearing before the spirits of her ancestors.
A loud voice asked her, "Who are you?"
"I am the mayor's wife," she replied.
"I'm not asking who your husband is. Answer me, who are you?"
"I am a mother of four children. I am a teacher at a school."
"Did I ask you how many children you have or where you work?"
And it continued until she said: "I am the one who wakes up every day to help her family and teach children at school." After that, she returned to her body and the illness receded. She found her ikigai.
Ikigai.
The Japanese concept of "ikigai" is quite difficult to translate unequivocally, but it can be roughly deciphered as "what gives life meaning, what makes us wake up every morning with joy". In other words, Ikigai is an elegantly compact Eastern definition of your main interest, what brings joy to your life.
Although the Japanese from Okinawa were able to make this concept a part of their philosophy, it cannot be said that ikigai is completely unknown in the West. We have encountered its followers many times, especially among those who have achieved a lot in their lives.
"We could hardly wait for morning to get back to work again." - Wilbur Wright, airplane inventor.
"Do only what you love the most. This is sure to lead you to success! Every morning I looked at myself in the mirror and asked: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And if the answer has been 'no' for several days in a row, then I need to change something." - Steve Jobs, Apple CEO.
It is the interest in life, the desire to immediately start one's work and to perform it in the best possible way that gives people a sense of importance, a sense of satisfaction, and a sense of purpose in life. For those who know their ikigai, depression is unknown to them, they maintain an optimistic outlook on life and are not susceptible to destructive habits. Therefore, for everyone who wants to live a long and meaningful life, it is so important to find a reason to get up in the morning.
How to find your Ikigai?
Opening your own business will require you to invest a significant amount of time and energy. You will have to make a thoughtful and important decision, and it's unfortunate that many people understand its importance too late. The earlier you start searching for your ikigai, the sooner you will begin to feel peace and satisfaction in your life. Here are some questions whose answers will help you in your search:
- Achievements. What achievements in your life do you consider to be the most valuable? Take a piece of paper and write down 2-3 things that you are really proud of. This can serve as a good starting point for finding your ikigai.
- Knowledge. What are your special knowledge and skills? What do you consider yourself an expert in? What do you enjoy talking about, what topics do you read literature on? What websites do you visit most often in your free time?
- Sensations. Working in the field that you understand is a guarantee of career success. But if you want to find happiness, you need to do what you love. Your ikigai doesn't matter much to your business success if it's not backed by joy in your heart. This is what you should pay attention to first and foremost.
Self-esteem. Who do you see yourself as in your dreams? Are you a teacher, lawyer, mother, scientist, publisher, or farmer? Perhaps your self-assessment of your future could be the lens that helps focus all your efforts.
- Personality. There are no identical people in the world, and different personalities are suitable for completely different types of work. Knowing your personality type, you will understand why some activities bring you great pleasure, while others don't touch a single string of your soul.
You can use a special map to find your ikigai, which shows that your main occupation is located at the intersection of what you most want and what you do best.
Final words of advice.
"You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs.
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